1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tongue cleaner or scraper, and more particularly to a tongue cleaner formed of a soft, absorbent, flexible, polymeric loop pile to improve cleaning effectiveness and consumer acceptability.
2. The Prior Art
Mouth odors are related to dead cells in the mouth, trapped and decaying food particles and microorganisms such as bacteria, either alive or dead. These things remain in the mouth, unless removed, will mix with saliva to form plaque, a white slimy substance. Such plaque which coats the oral surfaces not only contributes to bad breath, but is also harmful to the teeth and gums.
The physiology of the tongue is slightly fury in texture, with numerous projections, i.e. papillae, that entrain dead cells, decaying food particles, bacteria and plaque, becoming a wet breeding ground for bacteria to grow. Daily tongue cleaning through scraping, removes debris from the tongue and significantly reduces bacteria and plaque-coating without causing any deleterious tissue changes to the tongue. U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,475 further discloses that such tongue cleaning significantly inhibits plaque formation on the teeth, and appreciably reduces the level of bacteria in the mouth to reduce mouth odor.
The background art discloses many types of tongue cleaning devices, these devices typically employing rigid, nonabsorbent arcuate i.e. sickle like, or straight blades to remove debris from the tongue, by a scraping action with the blade across the surface thereof. Such rigid, nonabsorbent blade devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,477,435; 3,890,964, 4,455,704 and 5,569,278. U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,475 discloses a similar nonabsorbent, disposable tongue scraper, formed of flexible material bent along its length, with each end held in opposing prongs of a forked handle, and wherein the edge of the scraper that is adapted to scrape the tongue is serrated. As demonstrated herein, the nonabsorbent and relatively rigid devices disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Patents, lack the ability to effectively remove wet bacteria and plaque on the surface of the tongue. Further, the disclosed blades, either straight, arcuate or serrated are uniformly, relatively rigid and impart a harsh feel when applied to the tongue, a feel which is not consumer acceptable.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,592 discloses a tongue brushing device comprised of a tape attached to one end of a flattened, elongated member having a vertical profile of 3mm; wherein, the tape contains a high density of flexible nylon fiber hooks. The nylon fiber hooks are in alternate directions to remove cellular debris and the like from the tongue, as the tongue brushing device is applied to the tongue in alternate forward and backward motions. The nylon fiber hooks are formed by precision cutting, in alternate directions, of a woven series of raised and staggered high density loops. The nylon fiber hooks provided within U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,592 form a brush which enhances the removal of debris and plaque from the tongue. However, as demonstrated herein, the use of hooks, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,592, does not provide the most effective configuration necessary to absorb and effectively remove the wet debris, bacteria and plaque accumulation from the tongue. Further, hooks as disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,592 have an inherently harsh and scratchy feel.
There is a need in the art for a more effective tongue cleaning device to improve the absorption, accumulation and removal of the wet debris, bacteria and plaque from the tongue, while providing a tongue feel that is consumer acceptable.